Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell’s stirring locker room tribute to his team last week at Seattle was respectfully interrupted by seven-year veteran right tackle Brian O’Neill, who flipped the script on the game ball awards by tossing one to the boss in honor of his second 13-win season in three years.

The Vikings have obliterated even the most optimistic of external predictions for this transitional season, taking a sparkling 13-2 record into their matchup against the Green Bay Packers that has made O’Connell the current favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award.

“It’s a credit to who he is as a person, as a coach and as a leader,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to play under him.”

The Vikings can not only win the NFC North for a second time in three seasons, but get the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC tournament if they beat both the Packers at home today and the Detroit Lions on the road next week.

Don’t expect the Vikings to ponder that possibility, though, as tantalizing as it would be.

“It can be a very tired cliché to talk about going 1-0 until you’ve systematically built your entire operation daily of just trying to do that every single day,” O’Connell said after Minnesota’s eighth consecutive victory. “These guys, it’s not a cliché at that point. It becomes part of your football foundation and the makeup of your locker room, of your leadership, your coaching staff.”

The Packers could be forgiven for being less than impressed by the impact O’Connell has made, for a reason beyond simply him coaching their biggest rival. Green Bay enjoyed even better out-of-the-gate success under coach Matt LaFleur, who was hired in 2019 and won 13 regular-season games in each of his first three years.

Though they’re in third place at 11-4, two games behind the Lions and the Vikings, the Packers too have secured a place in the playoffs even if they can’t win their loaded division. They’ll likely be the visiting team as long as they’re alive this postseason.

“I think that just all of us going against one another, it’s forced you to be at your best every week,” LaFleur said. “You can’t afford a slip-up, just to keep up with everybody.”

The road team has won each of the past three matchups in this series. The Packers are 0-4 against the teams with the top three records in the NFC: Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia.

“We’ve got to be able to go win these games against the really good teams in the league and set ourselves up for the situation we’ll be in for the playoffs,” quarterback Jordan Love said.

jets at bills

Since the Chiefs beat the Steelers to lock up the AFC’s No. 1 seed, Buffalo’s main priority will be keeping Josh Allen and everyone healthy. After a subpar effort against the Patriots, the Bills can’t take Aaron Rodgers and the Jets lightly.

raiders at saints

The Raiders already hurt their draft positioning by beating the Jaguars last week. Another win could further knock them down and negatively impact their quest for a franchise quarterback. But coach Antonio Pierce wants to win and the players don’t care about draft slots. The Saints can’t get to the end of the season fast enough.

panthers at buccaneers

The Panthers have embraced the spoiler role and coach Dave Canales will try to derail his former team’s playoff hopes. QB Bryce Young keeps improving but RB Chuba Hubbard is out, Baker Mayfield and a turnover-prone offense have to overcome a depleted defense that couldn’t stop the Cowboys.

titans at jaguars

The winner of this one really loses because it’ll be costly in the race for draft positioning.

colts at giants

The Giants have come too far to lose the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Colts are clinging to slim playoff hopes. Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson combined for 308 yards and four TDs against the Titans. They could have similar results against New York.

cowboys at eagles

The Cowboys are left to play for a winning record after being eliminated from the playoff race. The Eagles still need a win to secure the NFC East, but are almost locked into the No. 2 seed. It appears Jalen Hurts won’t play because of a concussion, and if that’s the case Dallas has a shot against Kenny Pickett. Saquon Barkley is 268 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. He could have a big day facing the fifth-worst run defense in the NFL.

dolphins at browns

Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins still have slim playoff changes and get an opportunity to win a game in cold weather. A loss helps the Browns hold onto a top-five pick in the draft.

falcons at commanders

The Falcons regained control of their NFC South hopes when the Buccaneers lost. Now, they have a tough test against the Commanders with Michael Penix Jr. making his second start facing off against Jayden Daniels in another matchup between rookie QBs. Daniels beat Caleb Williams and the Bears earlier this season on a Hail Mary. Washington clinches a playoff berth with a win or a loss by Tampa Bay.